Work

Follow by Email

Monday, November 20, 2017

Christmas on the Coast by Rebecca Boxall - Book Review & Giveaway

Libby normally loves Christmas, but she can't get into the holiday spirit. She loves Jersey and this time of year is usually magical for her, but due to problems with her children, her vicar husband who is too busy to be there for his wife and a heavy task load at work Libby isn't feeling it. Normally she can always count on her best friend Stella to cheer her up, but all of a sudden Stella is angry with Libby because of something that happened between their relatives in the past. What is it that made her so mad and can Libby fix this rift between them?

Libby's father gives his daughter Queenie's diary. Queenie is Libby's great-aunt. She wrote about life on Jersey during the Second World War, more exact the time before Christmas in 1941, a crucial period in her life and the lives of many others on the island. While Jersey is occupied by the Germans the inhabitants keep plenty of secrets. There are hidden refugees, forbidden love affairs and even murder. Will Libby find the information she needs to be able to make things right with Stella? In 1941 having a good Christmas was a lot harder than it is now and people were still trying to make the best of it. Will Libby be able to have a nice family Christmas after all knowing things could have been a lot worse?
Christmas on the Coast is a beautiful story set in both the past and the present. Rebecca Boxall writes about Jersey in a wonderful passionate way and it was easy for me to picture the island and its inhabitants. Libby is a peacekeeper. She avoids conflict, wants everybody to get along and will do anything to make people happy. That's wearing her out, especially when she needs someone for a change and nobody's there. She needs to learn how to stand up for herself and that's an excellent basis for a book. Rebecca Boxall combines this great topic with an impressive World War II story. Queenie is a brave girl. She isn't afraid to take a risk, she does what she can to help others and she tries to have fun even in the most difficult times. I admired her spirit and loved reading her impressive story. I equally loved the two main characters of Christmas on the Coast and found myself eager to find out more about them.

Rebecca Boxall has written a fantastic holiday story. It was interesting to read about the differences between Christmas during Word War II and now and even though the circumstances couldn't be compared with each other one thing remains the same, Christmas is about spending time with loved ones, which is a wonderful message. I loved the magical atmosphere of the holiday combined with intrigues and secrets. It's a fabulous mix of topics and I really enjoyed reading this captivating story. I highly recommend Christmas on the Coast.

Advice
If you love a good Christmas story about friendship, family, love and secrets you should definitely read Christmas on the Coast.

About Rebecca Boxall

I was born in East Sussex in 1977 and grew up in a Vicarage as part of a large, spirited family including my late father, who was a very eccentric vicar (Rev John Lambourne). I now live by the sea in Jersey with my husband, two children - Ruby and Iris - and two cats. I studied English at Warwick University many years ago, later training as a lawyer, and completed a creative writing course with The Writer's Bureau.

I loved writing Christmas at the Vicarage and Home for Winter, and I'm so excited about the recent release of my third book, Christmas on the Coast - my first novel set in Jersey, partly during the Nazi occupation. I'm currently working on books four and five, so watch this space...

Aside from writing, my favourite things to do are walking on the cliffs, mucking about in the sea with my family and, come December, getting festive and cosy!

Well that cover screams "pick me up and read me" (usually the first thing that draws my eye onto the book even before author, title or even the "what's the book about" on the back. But also love the idea that it combines a lot of my favourite themes, past/present, love, family, friendship, Christmas and coast. We, if the weather isn't too bad, go to Whitby for New Years' Day and take the dog for a long walk on the beach, so Christmas and coast are a favourite theme as they bring back great memories of the Christmasses past and any we might do in the future.